Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to fly to Warsaw tomorrow, where the country has been dealing with an ongoing issue with illegal migration for years due to “hybrid warfare” from neighboring Belarus. Polish President Andrzej Duda, who sat down in an exclusive interview with Bild newspaper, said that he has very clear hopes and demands for Merz’s visit, including for the migration crisis.
“Most people want to go to Germany. That is their goal. First, they harbor the myth that Germany wants to take them in. They believe that Germany is rich and that the money is on the street… That’s why they want to see their families in Germany,” said Duda.
This pull factor is creating a crisis for Poland, with a significant number passing through Polish territory to reach Germany. Now, Germany is showing signs that it wants many of these migrants to even be sent back to Poland, which could number in the tens of thousands.
Duda pinned much of the blame on former Chancellor Angela Merkel, who belonged to Merz’s party.
“It was Chancellor Angela Merkel who opened the borders in the past and said that she would accept all refugees – or even migrants. Back then it was about migrants, not refugees,” said Duda.
When asked by Bild whether Germany should help Poland with its border controls, Duda appeared to be receptive to the idea.
“Why not? If German police officers, German officials could come to Poland and thus support the border… then I would have no objection,” he said.
However, there are fears within Poland that border controls could be implemented by the new Merz government. Duda described these border checks as mostly “symbolic.”
“Maybe more cars will be checked at the border, or maybe you will find out that this can be problematic, but that is not a big problem. This is more of a symbol,” he said.
Duda is suspicious about Germany’s attempts to maintain a dominate position within Europe, saying, “I do not believe that Europe needs a leadership power, that any state must have a leading role in Europe… Nobody should force their voices on the other because this state has a leading role.”
Poland may find common ground with the new Merz government when it comes to Ukraine, saying he backs German efforts to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine.
“Yes, the Taurus are important, as are other modern equipment, and Germany has this modern equipment at its disposal,” said Duda.